Looking for a good Outfitter

[Qbn Hunter]

My and a few buddies are planning a pig hunt. We are looking for a reputable outfitter that can guarantee us a shot. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Arrowslinger]

Whatcha plannin' on using...bow or rifle? Central coast/valley?

 

[bigtusker]

As far as I know, GUARANTEED shots are only available behind high fences.

 

[sidepass]

For a rifle hunt try the Jacks Ranch. It's located in Parksfield Ca. :two cents
No guarantee but lots of hogs and the weather is mild this time of year.

 

[Family Tradition]

Originally posted by bigtusker@Nov 15 2005, 04:17 PM
As far as I know, GUARANTEED shots are only available behind high fences.

Ditto that

 

[Qbn Hunter]

We are going for a rifle hunt. I know of one outfitter that wil give you 1/2 your money back if you dont get a shot. I dont want to run behind a dog niether. I believe Choppers place is only for bow, right?

 

[PIGIG]

Choppers Wild Hog Adventures is bow only

 

[SDHNTR]

Be very wary of any outfitter who guarantees a shot.

 

[bigtusker]

Try calling Matt Rianda out of Salinas. He is a licensed guide in California. His ranch is east of Highway 101, south of Salinas. 831-596-6890

 

[Gyopo]

I have hunted successfully w/Marty Rovenstein, he lives in San Miguel,.
He runs a bare bones operation. You provide food, housing (motel).
He runs on a per day fee, plus a fee for killed/wounded animals.

Eldon Bergman runs a similar style operation. Marty used to work for him.

Don Ingalls has a more comprehensive operation that is more expensive.

Just b/c you pay someone to hunt private land, don't expect to see huge boars behind everybush.
Be preapared also. Guides tell loads of stories of hunters missing give-me shots.
Physically it can be easy or hard. Depends on what the boar do.

Someone that offers money back if no shot is presented. Check what that means. Does that mean if you see a hog and decide not to shoot, you see one, shoot and miss, etc?

 

[Hogskin]

Tom Willoughby guarantees a shot. He doesn't hunt behind high fences, just private land. I haven't hunted with him for a few years because I have access to private land now but I know a guy that went with him recently and was happy with the experience.

 

[Speckmisser]

If you check their success rates, you'll find that most of the reputable guides are close to 100%. They have access to prime properties, and they know where the animals are gonna be. Even so, very few are going to "guarantee" a shot... maybe Willoughby is an exception? Several very good operations have been discussed here, in this thread and others.

Verify everything you want to know with the guide BEFORE you book. This includes the possibility of using dogs to chase or bay the hogs, "drive around and shoot" hunts, spot and stalk, or hard-core hiking. Any guide who won't give you a straight answer to these types of questions should be written off. It's your money, and the experience it buys should be up to YOU.

Good luck!

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

I have hunted with a lot of guides in the central coast and I will only recommend one operation. I have hunted with Mustang Guide Service for 15 years (Frank Morsaci) out of King City. Frank runs one of the most straight up operations around and he's $450.00 for a 2-3 day hunt. He'll put you on hogs!

 

[hatchet]

my vote is for willoughby, you will hunt hard and you will get a shot at a hog, theres no b.s. and he and his son are straight up dudes.as far i
can remember he is 450.00 for a 2 day hunt, you will be done in 1
if you can shoot, he will hunt you until you have a hog down.good
luck and let us no how it turns out.

 

[mikewong]

My friend and I used a guide out of Bradley in Oct. No guaranteed shot but both of us got a pig by about 10am during the first morning of a 2 day hunt. We started at 5:30am. The guide is Ed Roth. He took us to a private ranch just north of Bradley which seemed to have quite a few pigs. We both wanted meat pigs. Mine was 120 lb sow, my friend got a 150 lb boar. Ed does have dogs but we asked not to use them. We drove around the ranch in a pickup looking for pigs. When we spotted some we would try to sneak within shooting range on foot. It was a good hunt, but not a leisurely hunt. Ed wants you to get a pig as soon as possible. The hunt ends when you get your animal. Ed did a great job field dressing and skinning the pigs. We got our dressed carcasses to a butcher in the Bay area by that same afternoon. Pics of the hunt here:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mwong99@sbcg...l.net/my_photos

I originally wanted to use: http://www.huntingtop10.com/guides/ca/cagd7/

but they were booked for the times I wanted.

Here's Ed's web site: http://www.edrothhunting.com/

Mike

 

[SacFireJT]

If you are hunting with a Bow, you can't beat Chopper's

 

[Hogskin]

Ed Roth used to work for Willoughby. They parted ways a few years ago. I went on a hunt with Tom and expected Ed to be there but he wasn't. Instead, Tom's son (Blake) was there. I asked what happened to Ed and Tom gave some reasons (that weren't real positive) that they stopped working together. Who knows what the truth of the matter was. Bottom line, I'd hunt with Tom or Ed any day of the week if I wanted a guided hunt. They both are hog masters and either would be a good choice if you have the $$ to spend.

 

[Speckmisser]

Just thought I'd throw this in the mix... since so many of you have favorite guides...

Make sure you pop over the hunting guide reviews section of JHO, and post up a review on the guides you've hunted with. Include as much detail as you're comfortable with. This can provide a great resource for folks like QBNhunter who are looking for an outfitter.

Check out the guide reviews right here. There's also a link at the top of the forums page.

 

[MikenSoCo]

From a guides point of view(ex guide by choice), I would be leary of a client looking for a guarenteed shot. I have access to private property loaded with hogs, but do have days where I see none. One guy I hunted with botched a 15 yd. shot on a nice hog. I spent hours tracking the wounded animal only to have him leave being upset he didn't take home any meat. 99% of the guys out there aren't like this, but they do exist. Instead, enjoy the hunt and scenery. You pay for the opportunity to be on private land, the hard work of the guide, and the probability of a shot. The meat in the pot is the result of hard work and a good attitude

 

[easymoney]

There are lots of great guides with a high success rate on seeing and putting the clients onto pigs. THE REST IS UP TO THE HUNTER...
I too have been out with a couple of the guides mentioned above and they are top rate. We all got pigs of the size we were looking for at close range and we did our job to put them down with one or two shots.
I mainly hunt public land with a bow and the overall success rate is a lot less than with a guided hunt, maily on private ranches.
Do a search on JHO on guide reviews or do a back search on the hog & javelina pages and you will find all you need.